The Future of Consumerist

Over the last twelve years, Consumerist has been a steadfast proponent and voice on behalf of consumers, from exposing shady practices by secretive cable companies to pushing for action against dodgy payday lenders. Now, we’re joining forces with Consumer Reports, our parent organization, to cultivate the next generation of consumer advocacy.

Stay tuned as Consumerist’s current and future content finds its home as a part of the Consumer Reports brand. In the meantime, you can access existing Consumerist content below, and we encourage you to visit Consumer Reports to read the latest consumer news.

pit bulls

You may remember Diggy, the Michigan dog who appeared in an adorable selfie with his new owner, only to be threatened with losing his new home when the photo caught the attention of local police. They accused his new owner of violating a local ordinance, because Diggy appeared to be a pit bull. Now the town and owner have settled their dispute, and Diggy gets to stay in his home. [More]

What difference does it make if your dog is one breed or another? In cities that have breed-specific legislation on the books, it can mean the difference between keeping your pet and saying goodbye to a beloved pal. [More]

“A Petsmart adoption clinic ended in tragedy” is a sentence that I never expected to write. That’s what happened after a terrible altercation at a Petsmart store in Georgia, where a customer stabbed a homeless pit bull, claiming that she attacked his own dog. The stab wounds were so severe that she was euthanized. [More]

Pit bull owners have long spoken out against the inaccurate portrayal of the dogs as vicious attack animals. Some municipalities have gone so far as to ban or highly regulate residents’ rights to own a pit bull. But a new poll shows most people can’t even correctly pick one out. [More]

After United Airlines merged with Continental, it adopted its new spouse’s PetSafe program, which includes perks like climate-controlled transport and cargo holds, and the ability to track your pets’ whereabouts. But it also meant that nine breeds of dog, including pit bulls, were no longer allowed to fly United. Following customer backlash in the form of nearly 46,000 signatures on a petition, the airline has changed its tune. [More]

Pit bulls have gotten a bad rap over the years and are too often associated with dog fights and violence, though that has significantly more to do with horrible owners than the rather pleasant pit bulls they mistreat. Somehow this escaped the people at McDonald’s, who thought that these dogs would be a good way to epitomize the idea of “danger.” [More]

Even though the Burger King ad featuring a mail man singing about being chewed on by attack dogs hadn’t been out long enough to be a Worst Ad In America 2010 nominee, we’re pretty sure it will have one semi-famous person, Shorty Rossi of Animal Planet’s Pit Boss, backing its nomination next year. [More]

Part of

Founded in 2005, Consumerist® is an independent source of consumer news and information published by Consumer Media LLC, a not-for-profit subsidiary of Consumer Reports.